DIY Hair Color: Tips and Tricks for Salon-Worthy Results at Home

Coloring your hair at home can be an intimidating yet empowering experience. It offers a chance to refresh your look, experiment with new shades, and save money compared to salon visits. Whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned DIY enthusiast, mastering the art of at-home hair color requires knowledge, preparation, and a willingness to learn. This comprehensive guide provides you with essential tips, tricks, and techniques to achieve beautiful, professional-looking results in the comfort of your own home.

Understanding the Basics of Hair Color

Hair color is a complex science, and the results can vary significantly from person to person. Several factors influence how hair color will appear, including your natural hair color, hair texture, and the presence of any previous color treatments.

Choosing the Right Shade

Selecting the right hair color is crucial for achieving your desired look. Here's how to navigate the color selection process:

• Consider your skin tone: Understanding your skin's undertones can help you choose a color that complements your complexion. Cool skin tones (fair, rosy skin with blue, green, or grey eyes) generally look best with cool, ashy blondes and mahogany brunettes. Warm skin tones are enhanced by warm hair colors like golden blondes and copper reds. Neutral skin tones can pull off most hair colors. To determine your skin tone, observe the veins on your wrist: blue veins suggest cool undertones, green veins indicate warm undertones, and a mix of both suggests a neutral undertone.
• Stay within a few shades of your natural color: For a more natural-looking result, especially when coloring for the first time, stick to shades that are one to three levels lighter or darker than your current or natural hair color.
• Account for grey hair: Remember that grey hair tends to absorb color differently and may result in a lighter overall shade.
• Don't rely on the model on the box: The image on the box is often an idealized representation. Instead, focus on the color swatch provided, as it offers a more accurate depiction of the expected outcome.
• When in doubt, go lighter: It's easier to correct a shade that's too light than one that's too dark.

Understanding Hair Texture

Hair texture plays a significant role in how hair color is absorbed and processed:

• Coarse hair: Coarse hair tends to absorb color more slowly and may require a longer processing time.
• Fine to medium hair: Fine to medium hair textures absorb color more readily and may result in a warmer tone with orange, red, or copper undertones.
• Curly or frizzy hair: Curly or frizzy hair can absorb color quickly, leading to cooler tones that may appear ashier or slightly bluish.

To compensate for these differences, consider the following:

Read also: Perfect Hair Color Palette

• If you have frizzy or curly hair, choose a warm color (golden, copper, bronze) that is slightly lighter than your natural hair color.
• If you have fine and straight hair, opt for cooler shades (champagne, beige) that are slightly darker than your natural hair color.

Permanent vs. Non-Permanent Color

• Permanent hair color: For permanent dye, choose a color a smidge darker than what you want because of the strong developer.
• Non-permanent hair color: If coloring on a whim or just trying something new, go with a non-permanent color. With semipermanent dye, however, err on the lighter side of the color you're looking to achieve. "Semipermanent formulas don't have a developer, meaning they get darker and darker the longer you leave them in your hair,"

Pre-Coloring Preparations

Proper preparation is key to a successful at-home hair coloring experience.

Allergy and Strand Tests

• Allergy test: Always perform an allergy test 48 hours before coloring your hair. Mix a small amount of the color and developer and apply it to the inside of your arm near the bend of your elbow. If any irritation occurs, discontinue use.
• Strand test: Conduct a strand test to preview the color result on a small, hidden section of your hair. This will help you determine if you like the color and how long to process it.

Gathering Your Supplies

Before you begin, gather all the necessary supplies:

• Hair color kit (with developer, applicator bottle or brush, and gloves)
• A mirror
• Wipes
• Vaseline or thick lip balm
• Towels or plastic bags
• Two boxes of color (for long or thick hair)
• Non-metallic bowl and plastic spoon (if mixing colors)
• Color-protecting shampoo and conditioner
• Hair mask

Protecting Your Skin and Surroundings

• Wear plastic gloves to protect your hands.
• Cover your clothes with an old towel or plastic apron.
• Apply Vaseline or a thick lip balm along your hairline, ears, and neck to prevent staining.
• Protect your floors and surfaces with towels or plastic bags.

Preparing Your Hair

• Cleanse your hair: For best results, we recommend washing your hair with a clarifying shampoo 24 hours before dyeing, but no sooner.
• Dry hair: Color your hair when it's dry.
• Avoid washing your hair: Celebrity hair colorists recommend dyeing your hair when it is completely dry. In fact, you should avoid a hair wash altogether for 24 hours before you start the dyeing process. This allows your scalp to create enough natural oils to protect it from any hair coloring-related damage. But just in case, be sure to read the instructions in the box since certain brands may require damp hair.

The Hair Coloring Process: Step-by-Step

Now that you're prepared, it's time to start coloring your hair.

Sectioning Your Hair

• Gently comb all your hair. Even a tiny knot can be difficult to untangle once you've already started dyeing your hair.
• Divide your hair into four sections: Create a middle part from your forehead to the nape of your neck, then divide each side into two sections, one in front of the ear and one in back.
• Secure each section with a plastic clip.

Applying the Hair Color

• Start with one of the front sections to maximize color processing time.
• If you're coloring your hair for the first time, use the application method recommended in the product leaflet.
• If you've colored your hair before and are touching up your roots, apply the color to your roots first, then wait for the recommended time before applying it to the rest of your hair.

Rinsing and Conditioning

• Rinse your hair thoroughly with cool water until the water runs clear.
• Apply the conditioner provided in the hair color kit.
• Leave the conditioner on for the recommended time, then rinse again.

Drying and Styling

• Gently towel-dry your hair.
• Apply a heat protectant spray if you plan to use heat styling tools.
• Style your hair as desired.

Maintaining Your Hair Color

To keep your hair color vibrant and healthy, follow these tips:

• Wait 72 hours before shampooing. After coloring your hair, wait at least 72 hours before shampooing. This allows the hair cuticle to close and seal in the color molecules.
• Use color-safe shampoo and conditioner. Regular shampoos can strip your hair of color, so switch to products specifically formulated for color-treated hair.
• Wash your hair less frequently. Washing your hair less often helps to prevent color from fading.
• Use dry shampoo. Adding dry shampoo to your hair care routine is also a quick fix for when you run out of color-protecting shampoo.
• Avoid hot water. Hot water can cause the hair cuticle to open and release color. Wash your hair with lukewarm or cool water instead.
• Protect your hair from the sun. UV rays can fade hair color, so wear a hat or use a hair product with UV protection when spending time outdoors.
• Deep condition regularly. Deep conditioning treatments help to keep your hair hydrated and healthy, which can prolong the life of your hair color.
• Consider root touch-ups. For healthy hair, it’s also worth thinking about just coloring your roots next time and not your full head to avoid over-processing your hair – our Root-Touch Up product is super easy to use and gives great, natural results.
• Avoid chlorine. Chlorine can damage and discolor hair, so wear a swimming cap when swimming in a pool.

Advanced Hair Coloring Techniques

Once you've mastered the basics of at-home hair color, you can explore more advanced techniques to add dimension and style to your hair.

Read also: Top Hair Color for Gray

Highlights and Lowlights

Highlights are sections of hair that are dyed a lighter color, while lowlights are sections that are dyed a darker color. Both techniques add dimension and can accentuate the style of a haircut or the shape of a curl.

• Babylights: Babylights are very fine highlights that are placed around the face and hairline for a subtle, sun-kissed effect.
• Ribbon highlights: Ribbon highlights are thin highlights that are woven into the lengths of your hair, adding small hints of color throughout.

Ombré and Balayage

Ombré is a hair coloring technique where the hair gradually transitions from a darker color at the roots to a lighter color at the ends. Balayage is a freehand technique used to create an ombré effect, where the color is painted directly onto the hair.

• Sombré: A sombré is a subtler version of ombré hair coloring that fades between two colors that are closer in tone.
• Reverse Balayage: The balayage technique can also be applied as a reverse balayage. Instead of starting with a darker color at the base of your hair, a reverse balayage starts with a lighter color and then fades to dark.

Color Melting

A color-melt hairstyle is a transition between two colors, and it has a flawless gradient. There are no chunks, color variations, or dimensional coloring. Instead, one color melts right into the next for this hair coloring technique.

Ecaille

Also known as tortoiseshell, this hair coloring technique creates a soft blend of gold and chocolates throughout the hair. There’s also a slight gradient of darker colors used at the roots of your hair, warming to lighter, honey tones at the ends.

Troubleshooting Common Hair Coloring Problems

Even with careful preparation, you may encounter some challenges when coloring your hair at home. Here are some common problems and how to fix them:

Read also: Permanent Hair Color: Your Questions Answered

• Uneven color: To avoid patchiness, create a middle part that runs to the back of your head and split the hair into four sections — two in front of the ears and two in back. "Be organized about the application," says Brooke Jordan, head stylist with The Bird House salon in NYC. "People can miss spots, or don't know how to get the back." To prevent this, use clips to create four sections and work through them front to back.
• Color too dark: After your hair is dry, if you're unhappy with the color, you can mute it by applying a deep conditioner to damp hair. Then cover your head with plastic wrap and a hot, damp towel. Leave on for 20 minutes (at 10 minutes, blast your head with a blow-dryer), then shampoo and condition your hair.
• Color too light: If your highlights look way too light, you can use a demi-permanent color that is somewhere between your base color and the color of the highlights and use it on your whole head.
• Stained scalp: If you're just doing your roots, I'd recommend putting coconut oil or a deep conditioning mask on the mid-shaft and ends to help preserve any lightness or any dimension that you have on the hair," says NYC-based colorist Rachel Bodt. Runoff from rinsing out your roots can stain the rest of your hair, so she suggests creating a coconut oil barrier to keep dye from dripping down through the rest of your hair. She also suggests adding Vaseline around the hairline to prevent dye from staining your scalp.

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